Henry Waynwood
Henry Waynwood is the brother of the current lord of Waynwood, and an ex-Maester. He dedicates his skills and services to helping the lowfolk and highborn in any matters medical or otherwise. He is the host of his second identity and personality, Samuel 'Stone-Breaker'. Appearance The old man is a somewhat meek figure - a skeleton with the thin skin of an old man strapped onto itself. His hair is flat and curly, and silvery. Unlike his brothers, Henry blends in with the lowborn of the Vale far more than the noble scene. His eyes could be described as weak, but warm in their fatherly style. Personality A quiet individual who finds himself dabbling almost always in his hobbies - polite, mannerful and timid. Comfortable in slow, calm situations; he will slowly begin to panic the more drastic and dangerous a situation becomes. History Early Life The fourth son of Lord Waynwood, Henry kept to himself within the Ironoaks, finding himself enamoured with the studies that the Maester assigned to him as his brothers were sent away as either wards of other houses of the Vale or careful attention and guidance of their father. His mother, on the other hand held a close relationship with Henry and supported him in his aspirations of becoming a Maester from an early age despite the lack of understanding she had for the role. With the help of the Ironoaks Maester who had dutifully helped him throughout his childhood and the glancing permission of his father, he was officially sent as an Acolyte of the Maesters, an eager and determined student at the ripe age of seventeen. Throughout his early adult life, he would spend hours and hours of his days studying, practicing, and admiring the arts the Citadel provided. With each link he completed, the more bliss he felt in his life. His attraction and natural ability with the field of medicine stood out from the rest of the Maesters, and he managed to complete his chain link with two additional chain links of medicine and the art of healing. Henry's Curiosity Grows With his ability and mastery of medicine, he turned his ambitions upon a far more mystical field; alchemy. It’s controversy and magical properties sparked Henry’s curiosity like no other, and he spent his time in the Library of the Citadel reading away at stacks upon stacks of books that shared all the information he could ever find on alchemy and its arts. The ability to change people… the idea of consuming a potion to become the ideal man…one that can reach his potential. He would have to try and fix the tortured mind of humanity. One thing was certain, he would need to go where no man had gone before and find the source of senseless violence and abandonment of senses. WHere is that fine line where sanity bends, when does intelligence give way to madness? He had to know. it was something he felt as if it was his duty in life to accomplish. An arch-Maester approached him one night - one with distinct black brows that curved down right above his eyes, with a beard white as snow and not a single hair on his head. He approached Henry, curious what this medicinal marvel would be doing in the night. He warned Henry of the dangers of alchemy, after he began to detail his plans in a childlike manner, planning to create a potion that would reverse the effects of ageing. Henry was not deterred however, and planned to collect ingredients for his experiments. The Night of the Transformation In the middle of the cold night, within the comfort of his room, he concocted a potion that bubbled red and smelled of sulfur, shimmering in the moonlight, like crimson bloodshed. It was a mesmerizing potion - but now it was time for the true test. With a quick prayer and a hearty breath, he swallowed the sparkling potion with the Gods as his witness. “Dear Gods, guide me - show me how to succeed! With all your wisdom combined inside me, I shall follow wherever you lead.” At first he felt younger - his muscles weren’t as stiff, his joints crackled and freely moved about; he could even see out his window better, counting the stars in the sky. Henry had done it - he had found the cure to death! Standing up, he was ready, collecting his notes, his samples until he stopped suddenly. A feeling was growing inside him, like a contortion of flesh. A rising tumour bursting from his chest, a breathtaking pain devouring and consuming him - driving him insane. Suddenly uncontrolled, something was taking hold. Agony was filling him, killing him. Out of breath, he thought this was death. Turning to the mirror, he finally saw what it was - this creature was Samuel. Finally free. That night, Samuel broke out of the Citadel and roamed Oldtown, feeling lost in the night with a new set of lungs to engulf the salty air. The moon shined upon his face, and he could almost taste its soft light. No longer tied to his frail body or the mindset of others, he spent the night drinking and dancing freely. He was no maester tonight, no son of a lord, just a man in a world filled with power and drive; he was finally alive - until meeting a fair brothel maiden - but what he felt was not a raging desire of lust, but more. Such a precious darling, that no one would miss. Taking her out into the dark street, he attempted to coerce her - she would not accept without initial coin, but there was no time for Samuel. An overpowering struggle, a sudden cry for help muffled by two hands, then silence. It had all happened so quickly, he did not realise the patron who had stumbled out with a bottle in his hand spotting him. The rest was a haze, as Samuel started to run away, and kept on running, out into the cold night before finally giving out, collapsing into the dirt. That morning, Henry woke up with crows flying overhead. His mind was like tangled string. What happened the night before? As the pieces finally placed themselves together, he sat in the fields of the reach aghast. By the Gods, there was no turning back now. He was a murderer, and the Gods were his witness. He had to go back home. Current Day Now, he stays with the company of his brother who graciously accepted Henry into his court. Travelling the Vale, he visits villages and towns to provide medicine and surgery. It was a source of atonement for what he had committed - holding him back from taking his own life as he puts his skills to the task. Occasionally however, he will transform back into Samuel, who has found himself on the hinges of becoming an outlaw. On one fateful night, he killed a bastard son of one of the lords - though he was attacked first, he managed to break the man’s neck in front of a rowdy tavern audience. This gave way to his nickname, the infamous ‘Stone-Breaker’. It is a fine line they share, and Henry has constantly tried to study the patterns of his appearances...with little success. Category:RP Characters